Void of Course

by Jim Carroll

From the bestselling author of "The Basketball Diaries", "Void of Course" is a collection of poetry that vibrates with the details of everyday city life.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

James Dennis "Jim" Carroll was an author, poet, autobiographer, and punk musician. Carroll was best known for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which was made into the 1995 film of the same name with Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll.

Carroll became sober in the 1970s. After moving to California, he met Rosemary Klemfuss; the couple married in 1978. The marriage ended in divorce, but the two remained friends.

Carroll died of a heart attack at his Manhattan home on September 11, 2009, at the age of 60. At the time of his death, he was in ill health due to pneumonia and hepatitis C. He was reportedly working at his desk when he died. His funeral mass was held at Our Lady of Pompeii Catholic Church on Carmine Street in Greenwich Village.

Year of birth corrected & extra info added from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Donald Armfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched the movie "Basketball Diaries" countless times and since I've come to a huge liking of poetry I never thought to pick up Carroll's work.
This may not be his best collection but I will seek more of his work.

Standouts
8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain
Train Surfing
Poem (pg 54)
The Ocean Below

[abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

im just a jim carroll slut now- that's all

[SmarterLilac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Um...I have a high threshold for the bizarre, graphic and extreme in poetry. Some of my favorite poets include Sharon Olds, Margaret Atwood and Ai, writers who never shied away from depicting violence and sexuality in vivid and visceral terms.

But this book? Pushed at even my far-flung boundaries for what constitutes extremity in art. It reads like one long acid trip. Some of the poems have remarkable clarity despite this factor, but some of the subject matter, which Carroll pursues with an absolutely obsessive eye, is flat-out weird. In a way which strains my ability to appreciate it, and undermines the quality of the collection as a whole.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest. I read this shortly after the Basketball Diaries was released as a film.

I'll be honest. I really liked Leonardo Dicaprio and his choices in film pre-Titanic.

I'll be honest. Part of me wanted to love this simply for the "rebellion" of buying a Jim Carroll book over Mark Strand or Marge Piercy.

I'll be honest. I just didn't like it as much as Mark Strand or Marge Piercy.

I'll be honest. I was young.

I'll be honest. It probably deserves another read.

[Kaydence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kind of grew out of my poetry phase a while ago, but this book of poems is always classic to me. I love Jim Carroll and always have. These poems just get me every time.

[Robnrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘸𝘴 𝘬𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮.⁣
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘶⁣
𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
𝘐𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 ⁣
⁣
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦⁣
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺⁣
𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
⁣
𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦⁣
𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
⁣
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘮𝘱 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨⁣
𝘋𝘰𝘸𝘯, 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳⁣
𝘜𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩'𝘴 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥⁣
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴

I miss Jim Carroll and I miss Kurt Cobain, the latter being the inspiration for the work above. Both men’s work have been a feature of my life and there will never be a time for me, where their art shall fail to move and inspire. In a book boasting some profoundly moving work, it is ‘8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain’ which is my personal highlight.

[A. Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

1957 (HURRICANE)

He remembered his parents
Placing long strips of duct tape
Across the living room windows

Bottom to top, giant silver
Xs on warped glass
He thought it was a ritual
For a holiday or holiday
Never celebrated before

He thought they had converted to a new, silvery religion
Remembered Sunday school
The story of the Jews protecting
Their first born, marking their doorways
in Egypt

Then he saw the news on television
That the hurricane was coming
And he wasn’t at all upset
Knowing that Nature has nothing
On the strength of a New York City tenement
He just went and lay on his bed
Dreaming of what it might look like to look into
The eye they kept talking about
The eye of the hurricane

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

from 8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain: "You should have talked more with the monkey / He's always willing to negotiate / I'm still paying him off... / The greater the money and fame / The slower the pendulum of fortune swings"

from The Bakery: "Everything I've learned I have stolen / From her pockets everything I have / Written I've learned from her lips // She keeps her lips / Inside of pockets of her down / Jacket on Winter mornings // They sound at times like / A thief's bag filled with half-dollars"

from While She's Gone: "It's two weeks since you've gone / The fragrance you left / Still remains in this apartment / As if it were bracketed to the wall like a shelf // It remains sweet yet somehow stale / The pressuring scent of expedience"

[Alec Downie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love JC's writing but I found this tedious and self obsessed with moments of brilliance lost in a deluge of consciousness, self pity and anger.

Loss of relationships seem to be a recurring theme but with genius, lifestyle and substance, everyone leaves at some point, the questions then become, who's to blame and how much history is revised to negate guilt.

A tough read, even for fans.

[KBJT · Rating 5 out of 5]

A favorite

[Pachyderm Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want a more "definitively complete" overview of Carroll's work, please go to your independent local bookstore to either find or subsequently order his one volume omnibus edition of "Fear of Dreaming."

If his novel "The Basketball Diaries" is on backorder while you have simultaneously discovered that his other earlier poetic material is in fact out of print because you and your like-minded literary friends spend way too much time 'living at the movies," then please ask for, purchase, and spend time reading this volume of his poems instead.

I did and wasn't disappointed, but have other 'non-literary' acquaintances who may beg to differ.

These poems are all simultaneously seemingly spontaneous, confessional, humorous, and image choked.

The best poems succeed on many levels, as many of these do.
The best poems see

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: Soft 4.

He repeats the title "Poem" often, which I found annoying. His line breaks are often oddly placed. Punctuation is rare on these pages. Topics include a romantic relationship and New York City. "While She's Gone" is an 11-pager, though the other pieces are of more normal length.

My favorites:
"Poem" (the one that starts She was playing the french horn)
"Poem" (the one that starts Olivia of the ten thousand lesbian tears)
"Grains of Sand" - at the beach

The positions we use when making love
Determine the next day's weather
- "Sick Bird"

Just too many shadows for what's not there
And any second a knocking at the door.
- "Easter Sunday"

I hope that the syntax makes them squirm. I hope that they continue to laugh in the wrong places.
- "The Big Ambulance"

Your thighs moved smoothly as Latino gangsters
- "While She's Gone"

I'm tired too tired for conjunctions.
- "While She's Gone"

[Duc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more mature work but less abstract and not as fresh as his younger work.

The elegy for Kurt Cobain is perfect because Jim seems to have had a similar struggle in music and in altering chemical substances.

The love loss of his female companion is so personal. It is also another elegy. I have an imagine of him chewing on her strain of hair left behind.

[BC Batcheshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The nice thing about negative reviews is: we don't have to read them.
And if you're debating on reading the book, definitely skip the negative and just read it.
Yet again, Jim enchants and comforts me. Loved it, and I'm on a mission for everything he's written, even his music.
So there, naysayers and stinkeyes.
It is loved, despite you.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than most poetry collection, but still uneven. I liked "8 Fragments for Kurt Cobain," "Facts," the poem that starts "Female as thunder," and "Film" the best. I liked the first few pages of "While She's Gone" as well.

[Gracie Bawden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning, one of my favourite collections of poetry. At points shocking and uncomfortable, (just as it should be) yet it all felt entirely honest and real. I don't want to say too much because I think it should speak for itself. But so worth a read.

[Adam BoBadam · Rating 5 out of 5]

all right
buddah gets a backstage pass
but all his friends have to pay

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim's poetry is top-shelf

[Sonia Shanzer]

he is an amazing writer as well as a musician and poet.

[Suraj pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautifully written

[Nicole Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge poetry fan, but after my first heartbreak, a looonnnnggg time ago, I picked this book up and read the poems over and over.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I try to re-read this one every so often and it never fails to amaze me. Not every poem is perfect, but there is enough magic left in his pen to make the journey worth it and more.

[Cal40 · Rating 3 out of 5]

s'ok

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I put my faith in. I put my. I put mine in. I put my faith in you.

Poetry flows through his veins as sticky as heroin on a hot summer night. Worth a read.

[Katherine Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Jim Carroll's poetry....my favorite poet. This is full of gems